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Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame

FunWagon

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I can totally relate to you... the SUPs, kayaks, out doors, big family, kids in water. Nice trailer. But how do you fit a family of five and a dog in the trailer and tent? Wow.
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Will

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I can totally relate to you... the SUPs, kayaks, out doors, big family, kids in water. Nice trailer. But how do you fit a family of five and a dog in the trailer and tent? Wow.
Oh the current setup is tight for sure when the whole family is along.
Our kids are young: 9, 8, & 6. At the moment they are fine with sleeping on top of each other. They have been camping that way since they were toddlers and they have always been 3-wide in a second row. The three of them fit fine in either the 3-man RTT or the trailer box.

For this previous trip we opted for a big ground tent so we ditched the RTT and used the trailer just for storage and carrying kayaks.
My wife prefers camping with the ground tent; it’s massive and fits 2 queens and 1 one twin air mattresses, two nights stands (storage boxes) with room to spare.

I’ve got room to add a second RTT on top
of the trailer so I’ve been working on my wife to try to get her to warm up to that setup because I like the idea of not dealing with ground tents/tarps after a rain. Our last 4 trips we have been rained on. 😀

I really like the idea of the Opus 4 trailer but those are a little too heavy for a Wrangler in my opinion, a little more engineering than I’m interested in trying to duplicate on my own, and way too expensive for me to try to purchase. We are still learning about what works for us and tweaking our setup, but so far I’ve been really happy with it. Even on a trip where we don’t sleep in it, it provides storage for gear that we would never bring with just the Wrangler alone.
 

FunWagon

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Oh the current setup is tight for sure when the whole family is along.
Our kids are young: 9, 8, & 6. At the moment they are fine with sleeping on top of each other. They have been camping that way since they were toddlers and they have always been 3-wide in a second row. The three of them fit fine in either the 3-man RTT or the trailer box.

For this previous trip we opted for a big ground tent so we ditched the RTT and used the trailer just for storage and carrying kayaks.
My wife prefers camping with the ground tent; it’s massive and fits 2 queens and 1 one twin air mattresses, two nights stands (storage boxes) with room to spare.

I’ve got room to add a second RTT on top
of the trailer so I’ve been working on my wife to try to get her to warm up to that setup because I like the idea of not dealing with ground tents/tarps after a rain. Our last 4 trips we have been rained on. 😀

I really like the idea of the Opus 4 trailer but those are a little too heavy for a Wrangler in my opinion, a little more engineering than I’m interested in trying to duplicate on my own, and way too expensive for me to try to purchase. We are still learning about what works for us and tweaking our setup, but so far I’ve been really happy with it. Even on a trip where we don’t sleep in it, it provides storage for gear that we would never bring with just the Wrangler alone.
That’s awesome. I am actually interested in large ground family tents. I looked around online, but never owned one or saw one in person. Which one do you have? … unless it’s too much trouble to find out then don’t worry.
 
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This is the one that we have, @FunWagon

Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 1631385188674



https://www.amazon.com/CORE-Person-...core+camping+tent+large&qid=1631384977&sr=8-5


We like it, and I wouldn’t call it difficult, but man my friend brought a big instant tent (Ozark trail from Walmart) and I was blown away at how fast him and his wife were able to set it up. Those instant tents look like the way to go.

This looks like the same version as ours in an instant tent.
https://www.amazon.com/CORE-Person-...867&sr=8-9#video-immersive-view_1631384900102

Here is @thrasher ‘s tent.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-11-Person-Instant-Cabin-Tent-with-Private-Room/54644006
 

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Dude this is awesome. I’m trading in my Tacoma for a wrangler and space will be at a premium in comparison. This is now on my list of interests.

I can Mig weld aluminum, which got me thinking. I wonder if it would be possible to build an aluminum skeleton with an aluminum sheet on the outside riveted to the skeleton. Then using foam board insulation and covering the inside with a thin sheet of plywood. I wonder what the strength/weight would be in comparison to doing a wooden version such as yours. The idea being to build something extremely lightweight but for 2 people to sleep inside of.
 

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This is the one that we have, @FunWagon

Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 1631385188674



https://www.amazon.com/CORE-Person-...core+camping+tent+large&qid=1631384977&sr=8-5


We like it, and I wouldn’t call it difficult, but man my friend brought a big instant tent (Ozark trail from Walmart) and I was blown away at how fast him and his wife were able to set it up. Those instant tents look like the way to go.

This looks like the same version as ours in an instant tent.
https://www.amazon.com/CORE-Person-...867&sr=8-9#video-immersive-view_1631384900102

Here is @thrasher ‘s tent.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-11-Person-Instant-Cabin-Tent-with-Private-Room/54644006
Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame tent1
Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame tent2


I can't afford all these beautiful trailers, (I sure can follow the crap out of these threads though), but I love my core tent. Super easy to setup and the built in light is a nice feature.
 
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Will

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Dude this is awesome. I’m trading in my Tacoma for a wrangler and space will be at a premium in comparison. This is now on my list of interests.

I can Mig weld aluminum, which got me thinking. I wonder if it would be possible to build an aluminum skeleton with an aluminum sheet on the outside riveted to the skeleton. Then using foam board insulation and covering the inside with a thin sheet of plywood. I wonder what the strength/weight would be in comparison to doing a wooden version such as yours. The idea being to build something extremely lightweight but for 2 people to sleep inside of.
Definitely doable. You would have to use thick-gauge aluminum if you wanted to do a frame with it. I would suggest using steel angle or tube for the frame for rigidity and a lot of cost savings over aluminum. Aluminum skins are the way to go for corrosion resistance and good looks. I found pre-painted aluminum panels for the exterior of this trailer.
There are plenty of examples out there and that’s how most off-road trailers like these are built: steel frames and boxes with aluminum skins.

I almost went that route but I’m happy that I ended up doing the 2x3 wood frame, wrapped with 3/4” plywood and then an aluminum skin to wrap it. I have limitless opportunities to mount anchors/accessories to the roof/sides with the 3/4” plywood and wood studs to anchor to. I’ve got some plans for other accessories to mount to the outside.

It’s definitely possible to get one a little lighter than I have done, but this thing is so small, you’re not saving a ton of weight simply by swapping materials. I think where most people get in trouble with these small off-road trailers is all the gear and accessories they pile on there.
 
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Front/above spare tire storage shelf.

I salvaged a decent amount of 3” wide aluminum trim, both flats and angles, from our office. We were tossing some old cubicles and I thought there would be something I could use it for on the trailer. I saved a few pieces to be used for a fold out shower enclosure frame. Might also use it for an awning frame. More on that later.

However, the rail/rib system on these pieces was making attachment points awkward. So I started messing around and decided to make a shelf above the spare tire. At the moment it’s being utilized for firewood bundles or water-proof duffles to be strapped to. I might end up making a bracket for a propane tank once I get a shower set up and have needs for more LP capacity. Who knows? We got options though.

I don’t have access to a TIG rig or other means to weld aluminum (which I would have preferred) so I picked up a bunch of stainless steel fasteners and a couple of 500 LB shelf brackets and went to work. Here’s what it turned into. I’m happy with it for less than $50 of hardware. I was planning to paint it back, but I’m kind of digging the silver finish that was already on there. I’ll leave it this way for awhile and wait to paint until it gets more abuse.

The RTT still sits higher than the LP bottle so I think I may make that it’s home. I was looking into one of the smaller ones that most of these trailers seem to use, but figured why not use one of these that I already have laying around? They are cheap and easy to exchange.

Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 39A19CA4-8B32-432E-B786-1EC40A19903D


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame C4C596F5-D926-41A2-B845-80D5809E0351


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 75CD3F60-0A7B-462B-B2E7-6E392399A201


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 3D137BF0-BC09-4697-82C3-D1ECE04E6558


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 226E8F8C-9DE0-48EB-8630-BA91D8451DEA


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 409F9000-AF2D-4AF6-99D9-FDDCA97499DF


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 6078983A-0763-4154-92FF-BF026ACB18EF


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 588BC893-7684-4794-9BCC-A2DE19ABE577


FA70FED1-500C-41FA-A964-CC8E68FEAF6C.jpeg
 

gcnphilly

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MAIDEN VOYAGE! We hooked her up and drug her down the road for the first time this past weekend. She rides well. It was a little bouncy at first but I chalked that up to tire pressure and no load. I am guessing that right now the whole thing weighs 700-800 lbs. I'll need to find some scales once I get all the accessories on here. I dropped the tire pressure from 30 to 15 and that did not change the tire shape at all. It did remove a little bit of the bounce. And when I say "bounce" I mean that I could tell there was a slight up and down motion that I could see in the rearview. My wife could not pick it up at all. So maybe I have high expectations for this little thing that still has Harbor Freight leaf springs with bushings only in the front eyes. I may end up having to replace the springs but at the moment I think the light-duty spring rate is going to be just fine as long as she doesn't get too heavy. This was an exciting day. It's been a lot of work! I started the build in February 2021 so it took about 3 months to get to this point working on it when I could.

Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame FA70FED1-500C-41FA-A964-CC8E68FEAF6C


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame FA70FED1-500C-41FA-A964-CC8E68FEAF6C


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame FA70FED1-500C-41FA-A964-CC8E68FEAF6C
 

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This is such a beautiful build. So well done. After using for a season, any thoughts of adding a rack to the top for the kayaks? Also how did it do with highway miles?
 

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FunWagon

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It is a really nice build. Last summer I bought one of these Harbor Freight trailers. But I wouldn’t know how to turn it into what you did. Doesn’t it have a load limit of a little over 1,000 pounds?

This is from before I got the lift:
Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 7F5860F8-12DE-4583-99E9-7A12886E272F
 
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This is such a beautiful build. So well done. After using for a season, any thoughts of adding a rack to the top for the kayaks? Also how did it do with highway miles?
It’s got a rack on top. Sometimes when we leave the rooftop tent at home and opt to bring our big ground tent we will throw the paddle boards or a kayak on top of the trailer. It pulls great on the highway. We’ve done a handful of 500 mile trips to the beach and a couple up to the mountains running 75-80. I do wish I had some tow mirrors so that I could see the trailer tires and when I pull in the mountains it really makes me want to regear the Jeep. We are running 37s.

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It is a really nice build. Last summer I bought one of these Harbor Freight trailers. But I wouldn’t know how to turn it into what you did. Doesn’t it have a load limit of a little over 1,000 pounds?

This is from before I got the lift:
7F5860F8-12DE-4583-99E9-7A12886E272F.jpeg
I love those half doors! I had a white TJ back in the day with half doors. Wish I had them on the JL.

You are right that these trailers are very flimsy right out of the box. They literally come in a box.

What I did to remedy that was to weld a 2”x2” steel tube down the middle as a back bone. That helped immensely with the flex that was previously in the frame. Before I added that you could stand on one corner of the trailer frame and the whole trailer would flex. With the backbone welded in it is now rigid and properly supports the box/contents.

I also pulled out the small, 4-lug axle that came with the trailer and swapped in a 2,200 lb boat trailer axle to give it some more capacity and to handle the 33” tires. Here’s a link to the one I used

https://www.sturdybuiltonline.com/2200lb-Capacity-Galvanized-Axle_c_150.html

I did keep the factory leaf springs that came on the trailer and in doing so, did not move the factory spring mount locations. They have actually performed better than I was expecting. I really don’t think I need anymore weight capacity from the springs but I do wish I would have pushed the mounts/axle further back towards the rear of the trailer so that I can get more tongue weight. I really only notice it when I put my 4-bike carrier on the rear hitch of the trailer. I can feel it wanting to pickup on the Jeep hitch when we go over big bumps. If I ever have more money to throw at some new springs or a Timbren setup I will push the axle back another 12-16 inches.

I wouldn’t say that this thing is bulletproof; it’s not. But I built it to carry what we need and still fit in the garage. We take it off-road occasionally and it has done great. I don’t have any plans to do any serious trails with it. I know it’s limits.

4AF1E007-995C-48A8-B4BA-D977D1313DB2.jpeg
 
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Will

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We had a great time camping and wheeling at Gulches in South Carolina.

Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame 712263CA-C39C-4655-94EA-2A52CFD7E5E0


Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame B6E53935-51AF-48A2-8FE5-0B28601B6A2D


It got down to 28* at night and we were able to keep warm. Our two boys slept in the trailer and my daughter, wife and me slept up in the tent. We hung blankets on 3 of the 4 of the tent walls (not the entrance wall) and that helped.
I’ve got a buddy heater that I was planning to run for the trailer box but got paranoid and they ended up doing just fine. The cheap heated blanket that I bought to run off a Milwaukee inverter fried a capacitor after 30 seconds so that plan was a dud. Thankfully we were all able to keep warm.

Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame F2E60616-6339-4B3E-B0F6-F4CD6F5BA346


The front storage rack worked great for firewood. One of those items that you don’t have to touch unless you need it and it keeps it out of the way until you do. Very happy with that addition.

Next up is a fold-out shower enclosure.

Jeep Wrangler JL Off-road Camper “Quarter Wide” Trailer Build Using Harbor Freight Frame C6FD20FB-D162-4022-9B08-A1479C25547F
 

The Last Cowboy

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Build a bracket between your spare and the higch to carry your propane tank. That should help with the weight bias when you have bikes on the back. If you arent using propane on that trip, just put a 5 gallon bucket of sand there for ballast.
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